News - July 2023

July 31, 2023

BACK TO SCHOOL: Shop smart during Arkansas’ sales tax holiday

LITTLE ROCK — The annual Arkansas Sales Tax Holiday can be a help to families sending children back to school, but a little planning can help shoppers save more and prevent unwelcome surprises at checkout, said extension family and consumer science experts.

July 28, 2023

Hot Spring County teen wins Arkansas 4-H Governor’s Award

FAYETTEVILLE – Hot Spring County teen Jack Berryhill’s term as president of Arkansas 4-H ended on a high note — with him receiving the Arkansas 4-H Governor’s Award, the highest honor awarded in Arkansas 4-H.

July 28, 2023

BACK TO SCHOOL: How to prepare for back-to-school routines and starting at a new school 

LITTLE ROCK — As families head into the final weeks of summer vacation, parents can help ease the transition into the school year by getting children back into their routines ahead of time. For parents whose children are starting at a new school, it’s also important to listen to their concerns and take advantage of school district opportunities to meet teachers or walk through class schedules. 

Division of Agriculture names atrium at new NE rice center for donor Nutrien Ag Solutions

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Nutrien Ag Solutions will be donating $400,000 to support research and outreach efforts at the Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture announced Thursday.

Renk, who helped move faculty inventions into the real world, retires after 8 years

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Bryan Renk, retiring after eight years as director of commercialization for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Technology Commercialization Office, had the right combination of skills and know-how to bring faculty inventions into the real world.

­After 25 years of letting the ‘geeky side come out,’ Science Editor Fred Miller retires

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Fred Miller has two versions of how his career took him from newspapering in Paragould to being science editor for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. One of them involves lawn mowing. The other has the approval of his wife, Debbie.

Aug. 10 Pine Tree Field Day to feature rice, soybean updates

LITTLE ROCK — From seed treatment selection to harvest, the Pine Tree Field Day will cover topics in every step of soybean and rice production.

U.S. beef cow inventory at record low

LITTLE ROCK — Beef cattle inventories in the United States are at record low numbers, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report issued earlier in July.

Is beer made with microwave-dried rice any different than air-dried rice?

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. —  Using an industrial microwave can shorten the time needed to dry rice bound for beer making from days to hours and may lend itself to other food uses of the staple grain, Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station researchers found.

What the Federal Reserve’s federal funds target rate hike means for consumers 

LITTLE ROCK — The Federal Reserve federal funds target rate hike on Wednesday will affect interest rates for consumers, making it an expensive time to borrow or make large purchases. 

Aug. 9 NALC webinar to discuss essentials of farm labor law for employers and employees

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Labor costs for hired workers account for 12 percent of production expenses for all farms, according to the 2017 Census of Agriculture.

India’s export ban could bolster prices for U.S. rice

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A ban on white non-basmati rice exports by India could bolster prices for American rice farmers, said Alvaro Durand-Morat, associate professor and agricultural economist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Howell succeeds Verma as biological and agricultural engineering department head

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Terry Howell Jr. sees biological and agricultural engineering as a hub for bridging the engineering needs of agricultural sciences and natural resource disciplines to sustainably feed the growing world population.

Feeling pressure to keep the kids busy all summer? ‘A bit of boredom can be good’

LITTLE ROCK — During the summer months, parents are especially familiar with hearing the refrain, “I’m bored!” While many parents feel the need to pack children’s schedules full of activities, a bit of boredom can be a good thing — without it, children’s ability to think creatively and develop autonomy can be hindered. 

Can no-till farming mean lower interest rates for producers?

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Researchers with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture are conducting research examining soil health practices and their impacts on crop risk insurance premiums and other financial factors often faced by farmers.

Arkansas plant pathologists develop novel protocol to verify diagnostic tests

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Scientists with the Arkansas Clean Plant Center at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, have developed a protocol that speeds up the process, lowers the cost and improves the accuracy of detecting plant viruses.

Presence of blight pathogen confirmed in Arkansas pine trees

MONTICELLO, Ark. — For months, foresters and researchers have been investigating reports of ailing pine trees in Arkansas. New diagnostic lab results help tell part of the story, but researchers are continuing to investigate the cases of loblolly pine decline.

Entomologists study how colors attract wild bees to improve surveys, other research

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Red means stop. Green means go. But to bees, colors reveal a smorgasbord of available food sources. Division of Agriculture scientists are using colors to build better bee traps for research.

Arkansas 4-H team advances to National Wildlife Habitat Education Program contest

LITTLE ROCK — For landowners, improving wildlife habitat can be complex. Managing the land to welcome more deer, but attract fewer bobcats, involves closely studying the surrounding environment and species, a skill that one group of Arkansas 4-H’ers will soon put to the test. 

Turfgrass Field Day set for Aug. 1 in Fayetteville, preregistration open through July 28

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A new tool that can provide a golf ball’s perspective as it measures green speeds is among the products and research that will be on display at the 2023 Turfgrass Field Day at the Milo J. Shult Agricultural Research and Extension Center’s Horticulture Field Laboratory, 1005 W. Mead Ave., on Aug. 1.

Molecular survey of parasite threats helps Arkansas beekeepers protect their colonies

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Honeybee health is on the decline in the United States and no single cause has been identified. Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station researchers conducted a molecular survey of managed honeybee colonies in Arkansas to identify parasites and pathogens that may be contributing to this decline in the state.

Researchers trace ancestry of Arkansas honeybees to original ‘colonists’

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Honeybees in some areas of Arkansas have a direct, genetic link to the first European honeybees brought to America in the 17^th century.

EPA issues Section 18 exemption for Endigo ZCX for Arkansas rice stink

LITTLE ROCK — With rice stink bug populations ramping up and limited control options available, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a Section 18 exemption for Endigo^® ZCX insecticide in Arkansas rice from July 14 through Oct. 15.

Scout now to manage sheath blight in rice

LITTLE ROCK — As Arkansas rice fields move into reproductive stages, specialists with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture are advising producers to scout for sheath blight, especially as frequent rain can accelerate its growth.

Aug 3. Rice Field Day to cover production, pests and policy

LITTLE ROCK — From production to policy, the 2023 Rice Field Day will hit all the big topics for Arkansas rice growers, consultants and agriculture professionals.

After a disappointing first cutting, Arkansas pasture managers cross fingers for the second

LITTLE ROCK — Pasture managers across Arkansas are reporting extraordinarily low yields from first cuttings. Kenny Simon, instructor and extension forage specialist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said growers are seeing yields from first cuttings of ryegrass and other forage grasses reduced anywhere from 25 to 75 percent of expectations.

Lalit Verma, biological and agricultural engineering department head, retires after 23 years

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Lalit Verma, professor and department head of biological and agricultural engineering for the University of Arkansas System since 2000, will retire July 31. His 23 years at the helm of the department have seen critical advancements in research and teaching programs.

Heavy rain in southern Arkansas KO’s hay production, closes roads

LEWISVILLE, Ark. — Heavy rain in southwest Arkansas closed roads and brought hay production to a halt in Lafayette County, said Jerri Dew, the county’s extension staff chair, said on Thursday.

Arkansas 4-H members bring the heat to state barbecue contest, advance to nationals

ROGERS, Ark. — Sixteen Arkansas youth put their grilling chops to the test at the 4-H State Barbecue Cook-Off, and the first-place winners in chicken and turkey barbecue will advance to the national competition in Louisville, Kentucky. 

That bare patch in rice might not be disease, insect or soil problem, Hardke says

STUTTGART, Ark. — When it comes to diagnosing problems in rice, farmers have a lot to choose from including disease, drought, flood, insects, soil health and weeds. However, Jarrod Hardke, extension rice agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division, is adding a new possibility to the list: lightning.

NALC’s Rollins to discuss WOTUS definition after SCOTUS ruling in July 19 webinar

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — How the Environmental Protection Agency will define the key Clean Water Act term “waters of the United States,” or WOTUS, is unclear following a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on a case involving wetlands, said National Agricultural Law Center Staff Attorney Brigit Rollins.

Four finalists await judges’ decision as Arkansas 4-H Governor’s Award marks 40 years

LITTLE ROCK — The Governor’s Award, the highest honor offered by the Arkansas 4-H program, is marking its 40^th year as four finalists eagerly await the judges’ decision on who will be named the 2023 winner.

Drought sends corn, soybeans in opposite directions following acreage report

LITTLE ROCK — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Acreage Report sent corn and soybean prices in opposite directions, economists said.

Loy wants to help farmers better understand their finances

LITTLE ROCK — When Ryan Loy first looked seriously at agriculture in high school, he saw an industry that was misunderstood.

PARP offers opportunity for additional relief to underserved farms with pandemic-related losses

LITTLE ROCK — Underserved farmers who suffered pandemic-related losses have until July 14 to apply for funds from the Pandemic Assistance Relief Program, or PARP.